“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I’ve never met anyone who liked to say goodbye. Good riddance, maybe, but not goodbye. Many avoid goodbyes and just disappear without a word. But goodbyes are important....
Has there ever been a time in your life when you wondered where your next meal would come from? Did you ever have to make a choice between filling a prescription or buying food? Did you ever have to skip a meal so that your child could eat? Most of us don’t know what...
Today is Easter Monday. Traditionally a day of celebration (and rest for pastors and church staff everywhere) that began in the 15th century. Different Christian traditions celebrate this day in a variety of ways. In the 19th century the Easter Parade tradition...
This past Saturday nine of us from FPC worked with students from North Carolina A&T and two Habitat homeowners on a Habitat house. It was a full day. There was a great team of members with a lot of experience who came to work. I learned a lot from them and from...
We are now in the first week of Lent which traditionally through the centuries has been a forty-day period of fasting and repentance in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. This is typically a time when we think about giving up...
A week ago, I participated in a training with the Racial Equity Institute which is located here in Greensboro. Their approach is unlike any I have experienced before. It helped me begin to think more deeply about how we can affect lasting change in people’s lives. On...
This is how I started the class I recently taught about spiritual health during the holidays. This time of year is taken up with a lot of stressful, seasonal activity and the expectations that come with it. What might happen if we thought about Christmas in a new way?...
Rachel Fitch and I just finished reading a book called Freeing Congregational Ministry by B. Hunter Farrell with S. Balajiedlang Khyllep. It provides a practical vision for companionship, cultural humility and co-development that is a useful guide for short-term...
Two weeks ago I attended the White House Conference on Hunger and Nutrition via livestream. This was the first conference held since the Nixon Administration to address issues of hunger in our country. The information I heard may be helpful to us as we continue to...
It is wonderful to be part of an active church that engages the community in outreach. Throughout Scripture we are told what we have been called to do. One of the most familiar passages comes from the prophet Micah: God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what...
